Snapshots: Despres, Shero, Hextall, Flames
Anaheim general manager Bob Murray released a statement regarding the buyout of defenseman Simon Despres. The 25-year-old was placed on waivers earlier in the day with the intention of being bought out. Murray said the following from Anaheim’s twitter account:
“Simon Despres is a good hockey player and a good person. But, at this point, we feel it is the best interests of both Simon and the organization to part ways. We wish him the very best in the future.”
Despres responded as well on Twitter, writing:
“I’d like to thank the
@AnaheimDucks for a wonderful 2 and a half years. I wish my teammates all the best moving forward.”
- Ray Shero still has the #1 pick with a week to go before the draft writes the AP’s Tom Canavan. Shero isn’t denying that he could still trade the pick away, but for all intents and purposes, he told his staff to prepare for taking someone with the first overall choice. The next question: who would they take? Shero told Canavan that the draft reminds him of 2013, where there were four very good players in Nathan MacKinnon, Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Drouin, and Seth Jones. Canavan writes that the Devils need a goal scorer, which would definitely be found in either Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier, both believed to be the top two prospects in the draft.
- Flyers general manager Ron Hextall might still make a move writes Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. Saying there was a 25-75% chance he makes a move, Hextall is going with the 7-3-1 format and has to decide between Michal Neuvirth and Anthony Stolarz when choosing the one goaltender to protect. Hextall calls it a more “philosophical” decision than a “difficult” one since it essentially comes down to picking a veteran or a rookie. Carchidi also writes that Hextall may still re-sign Steve Mason while saying that he will not be buying out any contracts. Sitting behind New Jersey with the second pick, Hextall also professes to having “no idea” what the Devils will do with the first overall pick.
- Postmedia’s Kristen Odland reports that the process of an expansion draft is especially taxing to players who have no idea what to expect. She quotes assistant general manager Craig Conroy, who survived an expansion draft with the St.Louis Blues in both 1998 and 2000. Conroy likened it to the trade deadline, saying there’s nothing players can do about it and that they “signed up for this.” Odland lists netminder Brian Elliott as a question mark, wondering if he’ll be protected as free agency looms. With a goalie market that isn’t exactly full of options, she believes that he could be protected, but his struggles during the playoffs may be a reason he’s left off the list.
Snapshots: Drouin, Moscow, Fleury
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Drouin is one of the most interesting names to follow this summer, as he has continued to be linked in trade speculation all around the league. The latest example comes from Conor McKenna of TSN who while admitting he isn’t a trade-breaker, relayed that he’s heard rumblings of a possible Alex Galchenyuk (plus a first-round pick) for Drouin swap. That would certainly be a substantial kickoff to the trade season, as both players are incredible talents who haven’t quite hit the highs predicted of them.
Drouin especially holds high value after breaking out this season with 21 goals and 53 points, while both former third-overall picks (2012 for Galchenyuk, 2013 for Drouin) are restricted free agents this summer and are candidates for long-term deals. Bob McKenzie chimed in earlier with some thoughts on the Montreal forward, saying that “it’s become clear Montreal doesn’t view [Galchenyuk] as a center.” Keep your eyes peeled for movement on both fronts, as even if they’re not traded for each other they could be moved to other teams around the league.
- The KHL club Dynamo Moscow has been taken over by new ownership, but with it the players have gone on strike due to unpaid salary. The new owners, according to KHL reporter Slava Malamud are standing firm and saying they are not responsible for the debts. There were previous reports that players haven’t been paid in up to six months, and Jason Brough of NBC adds that the team was raided by anti-fraud police earlier this month. Among the players on Moscow last season was Klim Kostin, a top prospect for the upcoming expansion draft who has already said he plans on coming to North America immediately. After seeing first hand what happened to the more veteran players last season, it’s hard to blame him.
- Marc-Andre Fleury waived his no-movement clause because it was the “right thing [to do] to help the team, to stay with the team, ” telling Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that it gave the team more flexibility. Always considered one of the very best teammates in the league, Fleury’s waiving of his NMC allowed the Penguins to keep him on the roster for their playoff run, something that certainly came in handy when Matt Murray went down in the warm up of the first game. Fleury would lead the team through the first few rounds putting up an incredible performance and allowing Murray to heal fully before returning. If he is now ticketed for Vegas as many have speculated, his final act in Pittsburgh is one for the ages.
- The Chicago Blackhawks have hired Sheldon Brookbank as an assistant coach for their AHL affiliate, bringing the former defenseman back to an organization where he won a Stanley Cup in 2013. Brookbank was one of the defensemen that Joel Quenneville has played at forward over the years, but didn’t have a huge role on the team in any capacity. He’ll join new Rockford IceHogs head coach Jeremy Colliton behind the bench next season on what is shaping up to be a very young coaching staff.
Snapshots: Petersen, Kovalchuk, Neal
The Buffalo Sabres are still patiently waiting on a decision from goaltender Cal Petersen on whether or not he’ll start his professional career with the team, or wait for free agency next month. After Petersen declared he would not be returning to school, the Sabres had a 30-day window in which to sign him. John Vogl of the Buffalo News writes that Petersen’s camp is still quiet on his upcoming decision.
The goaltender will become a free agent on July 1st with everyone else through coincidence, and would be highly sought after as a potential future starting goalie. He would be signing a two-year entry-level contract, but after three outstanding years at Notre Dame is considered more polished than many other goaltending prospects. There is a chance he could be in the NHL before that ELC expires, making him extremely valuable to any team that signs him.
- New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero joined TSN 1050 today and was asked a series of questions about Ilya Kovalchuk‘s potential return. Shero told Pierre LeBrun and the other hosts plainly once again that it’s Jay Grossman (Kovalchuk’s agent) that is guiding the ship right now in terms of which teams are in contact with the Russian sniper. He’ll wait until they have a deal worked out before reaching out and seeing if there is a trade to be made with the interested team. Shero did confirm that Kovalchuk still does intend on returning, despite any rumors out of the KHL that he’s re-considering his position.
- The Florida Panthers and New York Rangers have both given promotions to their player development staff. Florida has upgraded former captain Bryan McCabe from Director of Player Development to Director of Player Personnel, while New York has installed Jed Ortmeyer as Director of Player Development. The Rangers have also hired Steve Eminger as a Pro Scout after last playing in the AHL in 2015-16. Eminger spent three seasons for the Rangers during his playing career.
- James Neal played most of the playoffs with a broken hand, according to Nashville Predators GM David Poile at the final team press conference (via Thomas Willis of the team site). The power forward broke it in game one of the Western Conference final, and came back to score the overtime winner that game. Neal has just one year left on his contract and could potentially be exposed by the Predators in the upcoming expansion draft, something Poile is trying his hardest to avoid.
- Karl Stollery has decided to take his talents to the KHL, as the free agent defender has signed on with Dinamo Riga. Stollery played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils last season, registering just three points. The former Merrimack College standout has just 23 NHL games under his belt but will now try to take the next step in the Russian league.
Snapshots: Neal, Beck, No. 1
Among his morning musings, the venerable Pierre LeBrun of TSN mentioned the possibility of the Nashville Predators, fresh off a Stanley Cup Finals loss, could leave James Neal exposed in the upcoming expansion draft. A few months ago, that would have seemed far-fetched but with Calle Jarnkrok‘s increased role in the playoffs and incredibly team-friendly contract it might now be a realistic scenario.
The Predators will almost surely protect their top four defensemen, leaving just four remaining protection slots for forwards. With Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen all being locks, Neal and Jarnkrok are likely battling for the final spot. That is, if the team isn’t working out a side-deal like so many other clubs with Vegas in order to protect more than the allotted number of players.
- Taylor Beck is headed to the KHL, signing with Avtomobilist today. The 26-year old was set to become a restricted free agent once again, this time with the New York Rangers whose farm team he ended the season with. The once third-round pick of the Predators was traded four times in a two year span, including a deal at the deadline this year. Despite scoring 66 points in 56 games this season in the AHL, Beck got into just five NHL contests and will now try his luck somewhere else. In 92 career NHL games, he has 23 points and always seemed just a step behind what it took to make an impact at the highest level. He’ll try to refine his game in Russia, while possibly returning at some point down the road.
- In the latest from Mike Morreale of NHL.com, he speaks to New Jersey Devils GM Ray Shero about the upcoming entry draft and the possibility of moving the #1 pick. “What would it get me to trade the No. 1 pick outright? I couldn’t even tell you,” Shero tells Morreale. There has been some speculation that the Devils could trade down to take a defenseman, but with the prospect of taking one of Nolan Patrick or Nico Hischier staring you in the face, it’s hard to pull the trigger. As we’ve examined before, trading the first-overall pick is a risky business.
Snapshots: Clarkson, NMCs, Hurricanes
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been rumored to be in discussions with the Vegas Golden Knights over a possible David Clarkson deal for some time, and today Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet again hinted at a possible trade between the two teams. The fact that Vegas might take on a bad contract is no surprise, but the potential return will shock many people. Friedman on Sportsnet 960:
Vegas is the epicenter of [all the trade talks]. I think they’re looking at a deal with Columbus, most likely for David Clarkson. They’ll get some nice pieces out of that, probably a first-round draft pick and maybe a prospect or two.
That would seem like an extremely high price to get Clarkson’s contract off the books, seeing as how he won’t even see the ice in Vegas as his injury has virtually retired him at this point. The Blue Jackets have already moved their second-round pick this season, so moving the #24 selection would mean they would be heading to the podium for their first selection at #86. That’s a long way down for any team to wait in a draft, even one with the solid young core that Columbus has built. Since Clarkson can be placed on LTIR when the season begins, the benefit for the Blue Jackets would be almost entirely in the offseason where they could spend more money re-signing their players and dabbling in free agency. If the salary cap stays flat, the team simply must move out some salary in order to retain Josh Anderson and Alexander Wennberg, both of whom are restricted free agents this summer.
- The deadline for requests to waive a no-movement clause has come and gone, and we only know for certain about a handful of players. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune and Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun both report that their respective teams will not announce whether they’ve asked Jason Pominville or Toby Enstrom to waive their clauses. Both players would be doing their team a great favor for the expansion draft if they did waive them, but many in the game believe that if you’ve worked hard enough to deserve one you shouldn’t be asked to waive it for any reason. Earlier today it was reported that Marc-Andre Fleury waived his clause back in February, giving the Penguins some certainty at the position but still playing some of his very best hockey in the playoffs for the club. We’ll find out who all waived their clauses when the protection lists come out on Sunday morning.
- The Carolina Hurricanes have promoted two scouts in their organization, naming Sheldon Ferguson head North American scout and Robert Kron head European scout. Both will remain under the purview of Tony MacDonald who will continue in his role as Director of Amateur Scouting. These promotions come at a time just before a very important draft for the Hurricanes in which they hold 10 picks. Recently, GM Ron Francis had admitted that he hopes to move some of the picks for players before the draft, but is content in using them if he can’t find the right deal. With four picks in the first two rounds, Carolina could easily move up in the draft as well should a targeted player drop far enough.
Snapshots: Tanev, Cullen, Williams, Trotz
The Dallas Stars have expressed interest in acquiring Canucks defenseman Chris Tanev, reports TSN’s Frank Seravalli. There’s no word on how far those talks progressed but reports from earlier this week suggested that Vancouver would need to be blown away by an offer if they were to consider trading the 27 year old blueliner away.
Tanev has three years remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $4.45MM and is viewed league-wide as a strong shutdown defender. With the Stars adding a defensive-oriented coach in Ken Hitchcock this offseason, it’s no surprise that they would be targeting a defensively-sound player like Tanev. Seravalli notes that Tanev’s modified no-trade clause kicks in on July 1st which allows him to block a trade to eight different teams.
Elsewhere around the league:
- While Penguins center Matt Cullen has said he won’t make a decision on his playing future until sometime in the offseason, he acknowledged to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune that “It’s pretty likely that this will be the end” of his career. The 19 year veteran continues to play an important bottom six role in Pittsburgh, logging over 14 minutes a game in the postseason while chipping in nine points through 24 games. He has been one of the better bargains since joining the Pens and had a cap hit of just $1MM this past season.
- Winger Justin Williams has met with Capitals GM Brian MacLellan to discuss a new contract, notes CSN Mid-Atlantic’s JJ Regan (Twitter links). While no agreement has been reached, another meeting has already been scheduled. The 35 year old is coming off his second straight strong season with Washington, collecting 24 goals and 24 assists in 80 regular season games while adding nine points in 13 postseason contests. He carried a cap hit of $3.25MM and given the lack of top six scoring on the open market, Williams could find himself in line for a raise if he makes it to free agency.
- Still with the Capitals, MacLellan doesn’t anticipate the fact that head coach Barry Trotz is heading into the final year of his contract will be any sort of distraction, notes Matthew Paras of the Washington Times. The GM added that they’ll discuss an extension once there is evidence of improvement from the team which suggests that Trotz is likely to at least start the season without any more job security. Paras adds that Washington goalie coach Mitch Korn is contemplating retirement. He has been coaching for the past 26 years, the last three of which were with the Capitals.
Snapshots: Foo, Gavrikov, Panthers
Spencer Foo joined Bob Stauffer on 630 CHED today and the college free agent confirmed that he has whittled down the interest from “over 20” to “under five” teams on where to sign his first NHL contract. The Oilers remain in that group, the childhood team of Foo growing up in Edmonton. Foo also revealed that he would have been named captain of the Union College team, and his younger brother would be have been joining him this season had he stayed.
The Hobey Baker finalist scored 62 points in 38 games during his junior team before deciding to turn pro this summer, and was one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has delayed his decision so far to finish his school year, instead of signing and playing this season like other NCAA players. At 23, he should compete for a spot in the NHL right away wherever he signs.
- The Columbus Blue Jackets have been trying to convince Vladislav Gavrikov to come over to the NHL for some time, and according to Igor Eronko of Sport-Express the young defenseman is trying to get a visa in order to come over for a medical. According to Eronko Columbus has offered him a deal with an AHL “out clause” meaning that he would be allowed to return to the KHL should they try to send him down. The report also indicates that the contract would include “full bonuses”, though it’s unclear if that means signing, performance or both. Gavrikov played quite well this season for Yaroslavl, suiting up for 54 games. He also played for Team Russia at the World Championships, logging time against top competition.
- The Florida Panthers have signed six players to AHL contracts, inking Francois Beauchemin (not the one who plays for Colorado), Matt Buckles, Ryan Horvat, Anthony Greco, Matt MacKenzie and Evan Cowley. All six will report to the Springfield Thunderbirds next season. The biggest name may be Cowley, who finished his NCAA career with an incredible .955 save percentage as the backup at DU. The former fourth-round pick is an interesting goaltending prospect for the Panthers down the line, perhaps capable of developing into at least an NHL backup.
Snapshots: Koytk, Kansas City, Wolski
Chris Drury has made one of his first signings as GM of the Hartford Wolf Pack, inking college free agent Brenden Kotyk to an AHL contract. The huge defender (6’6″ 240-lbs) spent the past three years with the University of Minnesota-Duluth where he continued to develop as a defender. It’s hard to project much for Kotyk as he is already 25 years old and will turn 26 before the season starts, but perhaps he’s turned a corner and can compete professionally.
At the very least he’ll offer a big body who won’t shy away from physical play and could add a presence to the Wolf Pack penalty kill. He’s obviously already big enough to compete at the next level, but whether his skating and decision making is good enough to keep up is still up for debate. In the National Championship game against Denver this spring, Kotyk was on the ice the second Pioneers goal, in which Troy Terry and Jarid Lukosevicius exposed his ability to defend the front of the net. Though it’s just one example, it points to the part of his game that he’ll need to improve and rely upon at the next level.
- The Calgary Flames have announced a new ECHL affiliation, partnering with the Kansas City Mavericks for the 2017-18 season. Previously known as the Missouri Mavericks, the franchise had been associated with the New York Islanders but will now work with the Flames on a year-to-year agreement. The Flames were affiliated with the Adirondack Thunder last season, who will announce a new affiliation in the coming days.
- Wojtek Wolski is back in hockey, signing a two-year deal with Kunlun of the KHL. The former NHL forward suffered a career-threatening injury last year when playing with Magnitogorsk, sliding head first into the boards with an opposing player on his back. He suffered spinal cord trauma, fractured vertebrae in his neck and a concussion on the play, and was at risk of never playing again. He’ll return less than a year later, and try to reinvigorate a career that had found new life in the KHL. After several unsuccessful stints with teams in the NHL since his departure from the Colorado Avalanche, Wolski went to the KHL in 2013 and has produced quite well ever since. At 31, there is a chance he could try a comeback to the NHL after this contract expires, but we likely have seen the last of the former first-round pick.
Snapshots: Spooner, Islanders, Berube, Russell
Bruins forward Ryan Spooner is coming off a bit of a down season but despite that, “the interest is out there” for his services around the league, reports CSN New England’s Joe Haggerty. Two years ago, he tallied a career high 49 points but that dipped down to 39 this season while his role diminished a bit as the season went on, a trend that continued in the playoffs where he was a healthy scratch at one point.
The 25 year old is set to become a restricted free agent in July and is due a qualifying offer of $1.1MM, one he will undoubtedly receive whether it’s from Boston or another organization. Haggerty adds that the Bruins gave prospect Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson some indications that he is in their immediate plans for next season and the youngster would likely fit in nicely in Spooner’s spot on the depth chart. There’s no guarantee Spooner will be dealt between now and the expansion draft but it appears that he’s certainly in play as GM Don Sweeney looks to shake up his roster.
Elsewhere around the league:
- The Islanders do not plan to ask either winger Andrew Ladd or defenseman Johnny Boychuk to waive their no-move clauses in advance of the Expansion Draft at this time, GM Garth Snow told Newsday’s Arthur Staple. The challenges that they face are well-documented and if either veteran were to consider waiving it, it would free New York up to protect some other core players from the Golden Knights.
- Although Craig Berube has interviewed for both the head coaching vacancies in Florida and Buffalo, CSN Philly’s Tim Panaccio reports (Twitter link) that will not land either job. Berube was the head coach for AHL Chicago this season but with the Golden Knights taking over as primary affiliate for that team next year in place of St. Louis, they have brought in their own head coach with today’s hiring of Rocky Thompson. TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests via Twitter that Berube could wind up as an associate coach with the Blues.
- The Oilers opened up brief contract talks with the agent for defenseman Kris Russell on Tuesday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports (Twitter link). Both sides have been vocal about their desire for a reunion but Edmonton is expected to deal with a new contract for center Leon Draisaitl and an extension for center Connor McDavid before really getting into more substantive discussions with Russell (or any other free agents). The 30 year old is coming off a one year, $3.1MM pact that he got just before the start of the season and will likely be looking for more on the open market.
Snapshots: Second Overall, Jackman, Rinne
The Philadelphia Flyers will listen to teams calling about the second-overall pick according to Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post, but don’t expect them to make any deals. After moving up in the draft lottery, the Flyers have a chance to pick an elite talent at No. 2 in Nico Hischier or Nolan Patrick and continue building towards a contender down the road.
With Travis Konecny, Ivan Provorov and others making an impact already, the Flyers look like they’ll have a real chance to surround Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek with enough talent to compete before they start to decline. Both stars are signed long-term for over $8MM, and still have enough good years left to be around when this year’s pick makes a real impact. The top prospects have been doing interviews at the NHL Combine, and will both participate in all the fitness testing this weekend.
- Barret Jackman is back in St. Louis after the team hired him today as their new development coach. Jackman retired from the NHL last fall after 14 years, and will now take on a role coaching the young players coming through the system. The 876-game veteran played all but one NHL season in St. Louis and recorded 186 points over his career. Never much of an offensive guy, he instead offered reliable defensive structure and penalty killing, eating up minutes on the back end against tough competition. Winning the Calder trophy for Rookie of the Year in 2003, he’ll be able to relate to kids coming into the league at a young age and finding success, only to struggle through the next few seasons.
- Pekka Rinne was in the starter’s net today at practice for the Nashville Predators, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. After being pulled in Game 2 and replaced by Juuse Saros, there has been much speculation whether Rinne would be given the net for Game 3 tomorrow night. It looks like for at least another game, Peter Laviolette will go with the guy who got him here and give Rinne another chance.
- Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Newell Brown is in consideration for an assistant coaching position alongside Travis Green this season. Brown was fired by the Arizona Coyotes earlier this spring after another poor special teams effort last season. He coached with the Canucks for three seasons prior to going to the Coyotes, and was part of the staff that took Vancouver to the finals in 2011.